November 2, 2010
News
Silvio Berlusconi at EICMA on his alleged 17-year-old mistress
Silvio Berlusconi, the 74-year-old prime minister of Italy, is under fire after it emerged that he had police free a 17-year-old Moroccan girl named “Ruby” from jail for shoplifting and may have been carrying out an inappropriate relationship with her. Berlusconi opened the EICMA show in Milan this morning and, apparently unfazed by the media storm, jokingly suggested that Ruby might make a go...
02 November 2010
News
Harley outsources motorcycle production to India
Tacitly acknowledging that the cost of American manufacturing isn’t competitive in the global business environment, Harley-Davidson has announced that it will open a new assembly facility in Haryana, India. Sportsters and other models will be assembled for the Indian market from parts manufactured at Harley’s US and Brazilian facilities and other international suppliers. The move makes a huge ...
02 November 2010
Positions
02 November 2010
Honda Crosstourer Concept: Shamu grows legs
The Honda Crosstourer Concept, which looks very production-ready, adapts Shamu’s 1,200cc V4 and aluminum beam frame to an “adventure” tourer by sprouting longer suspension, flat bars, aluminum luggage and a tiny little beak that just makes the huge fairing look even more bulbous. With a wet weight of 591lbs and horrendously jerky fueling, Shamu belongs in the ocean, not on trails. A BMW GS t...
02 November 2010
2011 Honda CBR600F: a faired Hornet
It seems like Honda’s big idea for 2011 was to repurpose existing or old models into brand new ones. First, the VFR800 turned into the 2011 Honda Crossrunner and now the Honda Hornet gains a fairing, transforming it into the 2011 Honda CBR600F. A simple approach, but is it an effective one? The gap in the market for the CBR600F was created by this century’s trend towards ever more track-focus...
02 November 2010
2011 Honda Crossruner: VFR800 reborn for naked adventure
Here’s the 2011 Honda Crossrunner, which uses a 100bhp 782cc V4, summed up in a single sentence: “Extensive customer research indicated that whilst buyers liked the appearance and the image of adventure bikes, for some the compromised stability caused by long travel suspension, taller seat heights and dual purpose tyres was a concern.” That’s right, it’s an adventure bike that won’t be...
02 November 2010